The Local Police in Málaga have started testing motorists for drugs and intend to continue carrying out checks and different times of day, including weekends.
Up until now, tests for drugs were via blood samples which needed to be analysed in a hospital. The new system, which has been tested during the past year in Badajoz and Zaragoza, gives an immediate result.
The driver has to provide a sample of saliva and within ten minutes the results are available to the officers, who can then act accordingly. Seven narcotics can be currently detected and those found under the influence face a similar process to that relating to alcohol.
Under changes to the Penal Code last year, driving under the influence of drugs is considered a crime against road safety and offenders risk being sent to prison.
During the tests in Badajoz and Zaragoza, in 411 tests carried out over one particular weekend, 7.7% of drivers tested positive. There were also 0.4% who refused to participate in the test.